Achieving Lifelong Physical Fitness

Education Law, Section 803 and 3204

The commissioner of education and the board of regents of New York State have long been authorized by the Legislature, through statutory enactments, to promulgate Rules and Regulations in order to implement legislative provisions.

Education Law, Section 803.
Instruction in physical education and kindred subjects.

1. All pupils above the age of eight years in all elementary and secondary schools, shall receive as part of the prescribed courses of instruction therein such physical education under the direction of the commissioner of education as the regents may determine. Such courses shall be designed to aid in the well-rounded education of pupils and in the development of character, citizenship, physical fitness, health and the worthy use of leisure. Pupils above such age attending the public schools shall be required to attend upon such prescribed courses of instruction.

2. The board of education or trustees of every school district regularly employing twenty or more teachers shall employ a teacher or teachers qualified and duly licensed under the regulations of the regents to give such instruction; in every other district of the state, they shall require such instruction to be given by the teacher or teachers regularly employed to give instruction in other subjects or by a teacher or teachers qualified and duly licensed under the regulations of the regents.

3. The boards of education or trustees of two or more continuous districts in the same supervisory district, however, may join in the employment of a teacher qualified and duly licensed under the regulations of the regents to give such instruction; and the salary of such teacher and the expenses incurred on account of such instruction shall be apportioned by the district superintendent among such districts according to the assessed valuation thereof, and as so apportioned shall be a charge upon each of such districts.

4. Similar courses of instruction shall be prescribed and maintained in private schools in the state and all pupils in such schools over eight years of age shall attend upon such courses; and if such courses are not so established and maintained in any private school, attendance upon instruction in such schools shall not be deemed substantially equivalent to instruction given to children of like ages in the public school or schools of the city or district in which the child resides.

5. It shall be the duty of the regents to adopt rules determining the subjects to be included in courses of physical education provided for in this section, the period of instruction in each of such courses, the qualifications of teachers, and the attendance upon such courses of instruction.

6. The physical education herein provided for, may be given, when practicable, in any armory of the state where such armory is within convenient distance from the school, and at such times and in such manner as not to interfere with the regular military uses of such armory. The commanding officer in charge of any such armory shall, upon application made by any board of education or trustees of the several cities and school districts within the state, permit access to any such armory, for the purposes herein mentioned.

Education Law, Section 3204. Required Instruction

3. Courses of study
a.   (1) The course of study for the first eight years of full time public day schools shall provide for instruction in at least the twelve common school branches of arithmetic, reading, spelling, writing, the English language, geography, United States history, civics, hygiene, physical training, the history of New York State and science.

     (2) The courses of study and of specialized training beyond the first eight years of full time public day schools shall provide for instruction in at least the English language and its use in civics, hygiene, physical training, and American history including the principles of government proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence and established by the constitution of the United States.

 

Physical Education & Activity

Physical Education, taught by a licensed physical education specialist, is the school's instructional program that provides the optimal opportunity for all students to learn and develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to personally decide to participate in a lifetime of healthful physical activity.

The Physical Education and Activity component promotes:

Competency in many movement forms and proficiency in a few movement forms;
Movement concepts and principles to the learning and development of motor skills;
A physically active lifestyle;
The achievement and maintenance of a health-enhancing level of physical fitness;
Responsible personal and social behavior in physical activity setting;
and opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and social interaction.

Goal: Advocate for education on the benefits of life-long physical activity, and supportive environment with enjoyable opportunities for students, families, staff, and community to engage in physical activity.

 

Physical Education and Activity Links

 

 

Physical Education Content Standards

The New York State Standards were passed by the New York State Board of Regents in 1996. The passage of the standards into regulation will aid in the efforts to encourage schools to implement effective Physical Education.

The Standards developed for New York are in line with the National Standards established for Physical Education. School districts must have their curriculum aligned to the standards and assess student progress at the benchmarks.  View the NYS Standards here:  http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/pe/pub/hpefcle.pdf

 

The Emerging Model of Physical Education

The Emerging Model of Physical Education emphasizes a life-long physical activity approach. Traditionally physical education in the schools has emphasized learning of games and activity rules, with a focus on large group games, team sports and competition.

The Emerging Model focuses on developing an enjoyment for life-long activities and calls for the emphasis to be placed on being able to set personal fitness goals. In order to accomplish this, physical education should be organized around the following:

  • Individual practice opportunities
  • Focus on individual skill acquisition
  • Sequential curriculum K-12 that allows students to build on previously learned skills

Physical Education curriculum, aligned to the New York Physical Education Standards with Benchmarks, will provide the means to promote enjoyment of life-long physical activities.